The Spirits Are High In This Denver Church

Historic churches are beautiful buildings and many of them are preserved, renovated and transformed for new functions. A 113-year old church in Denver, Colorado, recently reopened after a renovation and is attracting a completely new crowd, while retaining its religious purpose.

The church is the new home and place of worship for the Elevation Ministries of the International Church of Cannabis (ICOC), better known as the Church of Cannabis. It is a recognized, not-for-profit religious movement that believes in the creative healing powers of cannabis, and how it can help people in becoming a beter version of themselves. Colorado is one of the American states where the recreational use of cannabis became legal in 2012. A strange situation has been created though, as the consumption of cannabis is illegal in public spaces, and only a handful of places label themselves als being cannabis-friendly. Last year we wrote about the Loopr project, the cannabis-friendly bus that drives in a continuous loop around Denver on weekends for people to enjoy it in a social space.

While the church is struggling with local law, as public access to any events or ceremonies involving cannabis consumption is forbidden and such events must be private, invitation-only functions, it is open to the public from Thursday through Sunday from 1-3pm. Smoking is forbidden then, and you must become a member in order to gain access at other times and enjoy the complete experience. Nevertheless, member or not, visiting the church in sober condition is quite the adventure. The inside of the building is an explosion of vibrant color and spectacle. Murals featuring animals, mythological figures and motives all around create a surreal and hallucinating atmosphere that suits the spiritual quality of this unique institution.

The outside of the building features a graffiti mural by Los Angeles street artist Kenny Scharf, while the inside was painted by artist Okuda San Miguel, know for his Pop Surrealism-style. No matter what you think of the context, the building itself is undeniably a work of art.

As far as art installations go, this is certainly one of the most sacrosanct: laying down real God-fearing grass inside of the nave of York Minster in England. The pious pitch was installed by Wow! Grass!, which I hereby declare to be the greatest possible name for a group of people that install grass. York Minster laid down the saintly sod in time for a major benefit dinner to raise funds for the building’s maintenance. The 900-guest dinner was recently held as part of the Diamond Jubilee for Queen Elizabeth II.

The two tiny little kiosks on the picture are made within and with the fences of a construction site. Behind these rather familiar looking construction fences, renovation of a Russian orthodox church has already started. The two temporary kiosks are obviously made with permission of the building guys, using the available materials. One sells all sorts of relics — a good choice concerning the nearby church. The other embedded kiosk is one of the numerous food selling spots on Moscow’s lively streets.

Numen/For Use are at it again. This certainly isn’t the first time that they’ve created a cocoon out of adhesive tape. But while Tape Melbourne was a project that filled an outdoor public space, Tuft Pula is a little more reserved. Currently installed in a former church in Pula, Croatia, the cocoon dangles almost precariously…